1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to automobile engine oil pump installation tools and more particularly to an installation tool for driving the oil pick up tube of an oil pump into the pump.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
A mechanic working in the field and installing an oil pump on certain automobile engines, as opposed to a factory worker assembling an engine, has a very difficult problem. At the factory, the tube can be force fitted into the pump before it is installed in the engine block. In the field, it is difficult to force fit the tube into the pump if they are disassembled. It is easiest to mount the pump in the automobile engine block to give it support and then fit the tube in the pump. However, the oil pump pickup tube, which must be force fitted into the oil pump, is in particular cases a curved tube in that portion of its length between the oil pickup end and the straight end of the tube which is inserted into the pump. A bulged flange is usually formed in the straight portion of the tube disposed in spaced relation to the end of the tube which is inserted into the pump. When the tube is inserted into the receiving hole in the pump, the bulged flange seats against the surface of the pump and forms a stop limiting the depth to which the tube can be pushed into the pump. The problem is how to grasp the curved tube above the bulged flange and apply force to it so as to drive the straight end of the tube into its receptacle with a force fit.
The most common way to force fit the oil pickup tube into the pump without a special tool is for the mechanic to first mount the pump in the engine block and then grab the oil pickup tube above the bulged flange with a pair of pliers and pound on the pliers to force the tube into the pump. Otherwise it is necessary to pound directly on the tube or on the oil pump in an effort to force the tube into the block. There are many problems with these procedures in that the tube can be crushed, or scored, or the procedure can actually damage or destroy the pump during the installation attempt. In either case, the procedures can possibly create metal shavings or particles which can fall into the engine to later cause engine wear or failure or to reduce the flow of the oil through the pump.
The present invention is a tool which encircles that portion of the oil pump pickup tube above the bulged flange so that the tool can apply a force to the flange aligned with the straight end of the tube below the flange. In other words, the tool can be inserted over the curved portion of the tube to bear at one end against the bulged flange, and the other end of the tool can be pounded upon with a hammer or other driving instrument. The driving force, by virtue of the configuration of the installation tool, aligns behind the straight end of the tube to drive it straight into the pump mounted in the engine block.
The oil pump installation tool of the present invention overcomes the problems of the mechanic in the field who must apply force to a curved oil pump pickup tube by providing a simple tool which allows a force to be selectively applied only to the end of the tube, and that force is aligned with the direction with which the tube must be driven to enter and engage the pump mounted in the engine block.